Factors of Human Development and Progress in the Arab countries

Hasan A. Yahya, Ph.Ds

Recently, the Middle East, especially Arab countries where concentrated in the news when it comes to conflict and terrorism? Is it because the Arab world is experiencing the highest rates of religious, sectarian and social violence? Or is it because it is changing to a regressive social change, in terms of human development and security? This article will try to answer these questions in sociological analysis.

Answering the questions may be direct to confess that religious mentality created political differences between groups as well as nations. And that policies to develop human security, physically and mentally is mismanaged by the status quo of traditional tribal governance, which is far from reasoning and critical thinking of moral rational justice. Indirectly, however, the second part of the direct answer, which describes the strong interrelationships between political tyranny and social injustice, which creates turmoil and conflict, on both personal and governmental levels.

Sociologically speaking, most Arab countries are governed by authoritarian [some totalitarian] systems, where social tension has a degree of dissatisfaction lead to conflict, unrest, and violence. Stability in this case cannot be legitimate in the face authoritarian governments. Arab regimes according to these totalitarian governments practice political arrogance (Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria, Egypt, and other Gulf states for example,) dealing with social problems, using economic injustice, social oppression, and discrimination toward other nationalities, is a common cause leading to tension and rates of instability.

It is a fact that oil Arab countries have raised their income (whose revenue reached the nine billion Dollars a day, where $1.7 of which goes to Saudi Arabia), but still over seventy million Arabs live under the poverty line, for example, with less than $2 Dollars a day.

The recent Human Development Report (HDR) by the United Nations, there are almost 14 million people in Egypt alone, living under poverty line. Of these, four million do not earn their bread, while 20% percent of Egyptians own more than 80% percent of the national wealth. While this is close to the United States rates in wealth distribution, the United States takes care of it poor through social security and health care policies and benefits. Egypt is only an example, but it shares with the same case in many Arab countries,  such as Sudan,  Algeria, Morocco, Yemen and Syria.  They all share authoritarian political system which lacks social justice, even though less rich than the Gulf States, In almost all Arab countries, corruption is becoming a typical behavior on both individual and institutional levels.

To sum up why social regression in the fields of human development,  is taking place, and why human security as a slogan for HDR this year is regressing. There are several factors may be noted here according to my previous research on human development in the last 20 years:

1. Women participation more (than half of societies are handicapped in development in the Arab countries) In reality, it is much more than half. They are between 10 to 30% percent women participate in decision making other than traditional family business? In addition, safeguard the rights of women is needed by changing laws and attitudes which entrench gender-based discrimination. Women in Arab countries have little access to justice and few possibilities of legal redress when they are victims of violence. The increasing number of business women is very weak indicator of progress in women participation, while in some countries women illiteracy reaches 70% percent.
   
   
2. Absence of the rule of law to guarantee essential rights, freedoms and opportunities for political participation for all. Where such absence of justice and secular rule of law is enhanced by faith and religious beliefs as essential obstacles  in the process of rule of law development, socially, economically, and politically. Example, in six Arab countries, there is an outright ban on the formation of political parties, while restrictions on political activities and civic organizations in other countries often amount to de facto prohibition. Almost all Arab countries lack of civil rational society institution ruled by laws that respect human rights away from religious belief. But most Arab states are far from this picture.
   
   
3. New rational approaches  are needed to deal with problems (locally, regionally and globally) but prevented religiously, on the bases that “God gives, God takes,” where such belief depends on the other life  imagination and status quo respect and fear. The real life where they live in, needs more than belief to build nations rationally and systematically, where both are not characteristics of religious belief.
4. Causes of tension such as inequality,  injustice, and political arrogance and emergency laws, should be replaced by a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. For example unemployment among the youth from governments is ignored, its rate is increasing, in some countries reaches 40% percent. Taking into consideration population growth, Arab countries will have to create 50 million new jobs by 2020 to accommodate the anticipated workforce. The picture looks dim, with the status quo unchanged.
   
   
5. Arsenal and arms accumulation swallow revenues of oil, and takes its toll of national revenues. In some cases danger is imagined from neighboring countries such as Iran and Israel, bribery by billions are paid for arms deals instead of searching rationally to solve social turmoil’s and tensions  which lead to violence.
6. Ineffectiveness of human mentality concerning basic physical needs, like water, food, health, and environmental disasters, supported by the belief that God  solves all problems should come to a holt. Humans are perceived as having no ability to change their future. This factor stands an obstacle as a  rule. This is, unfortunately,  a stamp of traditional totalitarian systems continuing to be ineffective dealing with daily problems.
7. Replacing theologian beliefs by secular intellectual reasoning  is a must for the Arab countries to be succeeded . Such role is perceived as a disaster in traditional societies, to escaping mental powers of intellectuals and justice reformers.
8. The concept of nationality is mismanaged by internal and external forces. For example, citizenship is divided into one, two and three divisions where discrimination is practiced against non citizens in most Arab countries.
9.  Population growth threatening the environment . The average number of live births per woman in the Arab region is 3.6 compared to a global average of 2.6. At this growth rate, the region is expected to be home to nearly little less than 400 million people by 2015, up from approximately 330 million currently.
10. 10.  Related to the above factor, sustainable resources for population growth needs  institutions, enacting and enforcing laws, to integrate environmental concerns into development planning, and raising environmental awareness through youth education. Furthermore, desertification threatens about 2.9 million square kms , or roughly one-fifth of the total area of Arab countries. Meanwhile, natural resources are being depleted at an alarming rate, as population pressures mount.

 In conclusion, Much of human development reports show these problems, but far short from implementing them without radical political change of authoritarian regimes, and religious approaches deal with secular issues.   Traditional heirs of governments have to change, and give way to new generations believe in secularism and scientific development rather than traditional one. Arab countries should move radically to replace traditional idea of human development for the other life, forgetting the necessary life on earth. An idea was enforced in Europe three hundred years ago. Otherwise social progress and human security will continue to be in danger.  (1247  words) www.dryahyatv.com

Hasan A. Yahya is an American Arab scholar, and a professor of cultures and sociology. He published 19 Arabic and 8 English books and 200 plus articles on sociology, psychology, politics, poetry, IQ Test Measurement and short stories in both Arabic and English. His articles may be found on articlesbase.com, Face book and other internet sites. His recent book published on Amazon titled: Therapy Cases: Mental and physical, 2008, and Lawlaki: Poetry Diwan, 2000 Bayt Min al-Shi'r al-Arabi. (all in Arabic on amazon- 2009). His recent activities reflects his talents and knowledge on youtube’s Dryahyatv.com Dr. Yahya resides in Michigan, USA. Dr. Yahya has four children and eight grandchildren.

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